“Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion--and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain.”
Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--deny.

Doctor Who meets Sherlock in William Ritter’s debut novel, which features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre.

I enjoyed this book a lot! It was a mix of Sherlock Holmes alongside some fantasy, and it was really great! Abigail seeks adventure desperately, but so far, all her attempts have been failures. So when she joins up with Jackaby, she's very excited. Assistant to one eccentric detective, together, they solve the mystery behind the deaths.

Abigail and Jackaby make a good team. As Jackaby says, Abigail notices the obvious, the common things that most people will not perceive. Jackaby notices the fantastical parts, things other people have no idea about. Together, they fit together like a puzzle piece. Jackaby really reminds me of Sherlock Holmes in the way he talks, and Abigail is similar to Dr Watson. It's amusing to see all the similarities, but overall, the two books are like polar opposites.

I must say, I did not see that one coming! I was surprised to find out who really was the serial killer. He/she hid in plain sight (but we should be used to it by now). When they finally confronted him/her, I wasn't sure if they were getting out alive. Luckily, they did. Well, most of them did. Anyways, I'm glad that everything turned out fine.

The book felt a little stretched out at times, but not negatively! There was not one moment when my attention drifted, and the plot was really compelling. However, I felt as if there were some irrelevant parts but very minor.

Though I don't have much to say about this book, the read was worth it! I definitely recommend it for those who love mysteries and a pinch of fantasy on the sidelines!

My Chosen Quote

“Happiness is bliss - but ignorance is anesthetic, and in the face of what's to come, that may be all we can hope for our ill-fated acquaintances.”

Friday, February 26, 2016

Hi everyone! So I was nominated by Kayleigh @ A Book Lovers Playlist and well, it seems like a lot of fun! Birthstones and gems always intrigue me and I do love reading about how each one is meant to represent us. Without further ado, let's begin!

January - Garnet

Associated with warding off negative forces and dark energies. Name a book with the darkest/evilest character you can think of.
That's quite hard! Most evil characters always find a way for us to sympathise with them.

February - AmethystPurple is associated with royalty.Name a book with regal qualities... You can base this off of characters. Choose the King of all books.
The Selection series has a lot of monarchy themes in it! Illea used to be the USA, didn't it? How ironic ;)

March - AquamarineWashed out.Name a 'wishy washy' character, a character who is not strong or is a follower.
Argh, I thought that Violet from Amy Ewing's the Jewel was quite weak. Although Ewing tries to make her 'strong', it just isn't believable.April - DiamondA diamond in the rough.Name a book that you love but is not well known.
This is definitely The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr. It's heavily music-based, but I really liked it.May - EmeraldSaid to balance energy.Name two characters who balance each other well.
Will Herondale and Jem Carstairs definitely do! They are like two sides of the same coin - different yet same. No wonder they were parabatai!June - PearlAssociated with loyalty.Name a character who is loyal to the end.
Loyal till the end? Sounds like Percy Jackson to me. He's loyal and never gives up on his friends.July - RubyBlood red.Name a book that made your blood boil, one that made you angry.
The ending of Red Queen! So many betrayals, so much heartbreak. On top of that, there's a revolution coming...August - PeridotPale green (it pales in comparison to other gems)Name a supporting character who you like better than the main character.
Haha, I really like Raffaele from The Young Elites. He's an interesting character and I want to know more of him! Although Adelina is such a complex character, he's equally interesting!September - SapphireBlue like the ocean, which is calming.Name a book that had a calming affect on you.
I think any Contemporary books are calming. But I think We Were Liars was a really nice summer read. I read it in one go next to the pool. It was relaxing!October - OpalName an iridescent book, this can be a book with a beautiful cover (Shiny? Lots of colour?) or you can base it off a character (Quirky? Colourful?)
The Winner's Curse has the most beautiful cover! It's so nice!November - TopazAssociated with resilience.Name a book with a character who rises to the top in a time of adversity.
Farley from Red Queen is definitely a leader. Although she's part of the Scarlet Guard, she does what she thinks is best for everyone, and not just the rebels.December - Blue ZirconAssociated with friendship.Name a book with a friendship you want to be a part of.
I'd love to be part of Kell and Lila's friendship. They work really well together, and they're just cool!

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Hi everyone! I recently saw this tag on Kayleigh's blog, A Book Lovers Playlist and I thought it was an interesting idea! You can also find the original book tag on youtube here! So, let's begin!

SPACE

Name a book that is out of this world - which takes place in a world different from our own.
Across the Universe by Beth Revis takes place in space! That series is really good! I especially like reading about how they all live on the spaceship.

BLACK HOLE

Name a book that completely sucked you in.
Since the very first page, Made You Up by Francesca Zappia sucked me in. It was so good! The plot, the writing, everything!

LIGHTSPEED

Name a book you are anticipating so much you wish you could travel at light speed to get it.
I really want to read Half Lost by Sally Green, the final book in the Half Bad trilogy. I just need to know what happens to Nathan!

NEBULA

Name a book with a beautiful cover.
So many books have beautiful covers, but one of my favourites is Winter by Marissa Meyer! I mean, look at it!

MULTIVERSEName a companion set or spinoff series you love.
Does Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo count? It's technically a spinoff from the Grisha trilogy... right?
GRAVITYName your favourite romance pairing that seems to have a gravitational pull to each other.
There are so many! I think I'll have to go with Percy and Annabeth. Those two are made for each other. They are at the top of the OTP hierarchy (if one even exists) :)
THE BIG BANGName a book that got you started on reading.
I'm sure we've all had that reading block, when no book interests us or we just don't know what to read anymore. Whenever I run into that problem, I just go back and read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. My copy is falling apart :(
ASTEROIDName a short story or novella you love.
I usually don't read a lot of novellas, but I do like Fairest by Marissa Meyer. We got to find out more about Levana and her backstory, which is quite interesting...
GALAXYName a book with multiple POVs.
The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan had so many POVs! I was so excited for Nico's. His POV was my favourite.
SPACESHIPName a book title that would be a great name for a spaceship.
Hmm... maybe Throne of Glass would make a good spaceship name, though I don't know what that would imply...

I hope you enjoyed reading this tag as much as I enjoyed making it! If you liked it, feel free to join in!

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Since today is Valentine's Day and I never pass up an opportunity to talk about my OTPs, I've decided to make a post about my OTPs!

~ Book OTPs ~

Percabeth

Pairing: Percy Jackson x Annabeth Chase

Book: PJO, HoO

Canon? : YES

When I began shipping: I began shipping it since the Titan's Curse (a bit late? I know) when Percy wouldn't stop for anything until he found Annabeth. I think Rick Riordan paced their relationship very well - not too fast, not too slow, with enough chemistry between them. They're so compatible and so cute!

Solangelo

Pairing: Nico di Angelo x Will Solace

Book: Blood of Olympus

Canon? : Yes(?)

When I began shipping: Literally the second Nico returned to Camp Half Blood and ran into Will. Will is like a fluffy overprotective mother hen! Nico is the grumpy kitten! YES I LOVE IT.

Maxerica

Pairing: Maxon Schreave x America Singer

Book: The Selection series

Canon? : Definitely!

When I began shipping: First meeting, when America began yelling at him. It was quite amusing, really. They had their ups and downs, but I was sure America was going to choose Maxon over Aspen. It was obvious.

Wessa and Jessa

Pairing: Will Herondale x Tessa Gray and Jem Carstairs x Tessa Gray

Book: The Infernal Devices

Canon? : Yep!

When I began shipping: It's difficult to choose between Wessa and Jessa. I ship them both equally. I'm glad Tessa ends up with both - just at different time periods. Phew! Now both of my ships are canon and life is much easier :)

Ren x Kelsey

Pairing: Ren x Kelsey

Book: Tiger's Curse

Canon? : Yes!

When I began shipping: I had some major conflicts between shipping Kelsey with Ren or Kishan, but I think I prefer Ren a bit more. He's so sweet, awkward, modest and everything! Their relationship is sooooo cute (*squealing at the thought*) and I'm shipping it so bad!

~ TV Show OTPs ~

Destiel

Pairing: Castiel x Dean Winchester

Show: Supernatural

Canon? : No(t yet) ;)

When I began shipping: I started shipping the two even before Castiel entered Supernatural! Blame it on the edits and the fanfiction. Now I've seen their interaction on the show, I do hope that they canon one day. *Season 11 spoilers* Though now with Dean's 'attraction' to Amara, I don't know if this is possible. Who ships Damara? I don't :(*Spoiler over*

Merthur

Pairing: Merlin x Arthur Pendragon

Show: Merlin

Canon? : Yes Technically, no.

When I began shipping: Season 1, Episode 1. Their first interaction was hilarious! After that, all scenes between Merlin and Arthur were the best! Then there's that thing that happened during the series finale... I cry every time I remember ;(

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off.

Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist.

Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

It's February already? January passed by so quick! I predict that February will be a good month. Why? It's the beginning of new books! Sequels! Stand alones! Everything we can wish for!

(I usually suck at following these TBRs, but I'm proud to say that I completed my January TBR! Yay!)

So what is on my February TBR?

1. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey. Yes, I know. The movie has been out for a while now, but I have yet to watch it and I do want to reread it before doing so. I've read in in the past, but I don't remember 90% of what happened. Oops :)

2. My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga. Ever since I've read Made You Up, my interest for Contemporary have been opened up again.

3. Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone. More Contemporary, I know. This one seems equally interesting as My Heart and Other Black Holes. Ugh, I don't know what to read first!

What is coming out this February?

1. Stars Above by Marissa Meyer. OMG YES! It's been months since Winter, and I still haven't gotten over the Lunar Chronicles. It's such a well constructed world, with so many characters that you just don't want to leave behind.

2. Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard. Red Queen was really satisfying, as it's been a while since I've read a book with a revolution in it. The last book ended on such a cliffhanger, and now I'm dying to know what happens to all the characters!

3. A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab. A Darker Shade of Magic was great. My favourite part was the world building: all th
e Londons are so different! Kell and Lila's friendship is so amusing to read about. They're so funny together! Plus, isn't the cover beautiful?

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from
her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past…

She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.

The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series continues Celaena’s epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.